LIONEL MESSI snubbed old foe Cristiano Ronaldo in his picks for the 2020 Fifa’s Best Men’s Player – despite the Juventus ace giving the nod to his Barcelona rival.
Robert Lewandowski beat both of the legends to scoop the prize after firing Bayern Munich to Champions League, Bundesliga and the German Cup success.
Cristiano Ronaldo was snubbed by Lionel Messi in his picks for the 2020 Fifa’s Best Men’s PlayerCredit: Getty
Messi and his rival missed out on the prize as Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski scooped it at the virtual ceremonyCredit: AP:Associated Press
The Pole was rewarded for his stunning season at BayernCredit: Getty – Pool
The Polish striker did receive votes from both, with Ronaldo choosing him as top pick.
But Messi only picked the hotshot second, instead naming close pal and PSG forward Neymar as first.
Following the virtual ceremony on Thursday, each vote from every national team’s captain and head coach have now been revealed.
And after the document was released by Fifa, it appears that Messi opted to vote tactically to try and land the top honour himself.
Former Barca team-mate was his first pick, with fellow PSG ace Kylian Mbappe second and Lewandowski only the third.
Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen on his voting form, even though he has previously picked the ex-Manchester United man in the past on his card.
Ronaldo snubbed Messi in last year’s voting but this time he named him second in his own choices.
He opted for Lewandowski top, while Mbappe came in as his third-choice pick.
Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the game’s top player prizes over the past decade but it was the Portuguse who got the better of his Argentine foe earlier this month when they met on the pitch.
His Juventus side dished out a 3-0 hammering to Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the Champions League as Ronaldo scored twice in the demolition.
Afterwards he claimed he had no ill-feeling towards Messi at all, despite spending the majority of his career playing for Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid.
He explained: “I have always had a very good relationship with him.
“I shared 12, 13 or 14 years of award ceremonies with him. I never saw him as a rival. He always tries to do what is best for his team and me too. I always got along very well with him.
“But we know that in football, for the press, for the show, a rivalry is sought, but I have always gotten along well with him.”
Both men looked less than impressed when it was confirmed they had missed out yesterday on the gong to Lewandowski.
The 32-year-old scored a stunning 55 goals in 47 matches last season, with 15 in 10 Champions League games as Bayern marched European success.
The 2020 Fifpro world XI includes four Liverpool stars, as well as Messi, Ronaldo and Lewandowski
Dominant Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 as Ronaldo betters Messi by scoring twice
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
